Closure for refrigerators and the like



J. W. SEIFERT.

cLosuRE FOR REFRIGERATORS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR`v 28, 1918.

Patented May 11, 1920.

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J. W. SEIFERT.

CLUSURE FOR REFRIGERATORS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED'MAR- 2B 191B.

Patented May 11,

HEETS-S HEE attotnaq J. W. SEIFERT.

cLosuRE FOR REFRIGERATORS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICANON FILED MAR, 28 1918. 1,340,084.

Patented May 11, 1920 3 SHEETS-SHEET l- WCL, Q. mi

@Hoz ne q STATES -PATEN T OFFICE.

J'OHN W. SEIFERT, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAS.

CLOSURE FOR REFRIGERATORS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed March 28, 1918.

To all wlw/m, 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN lV. SEIFEn'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Closures for Refrigerators and the like, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient construction of doors or lids for refrigerators, refrigerator cars, ice boxes, fireless cookers, telephone booths and the like, and as fire doors foi-'storage houses, and wherever it is necessary or desirable to provide for facility of movement in opening and closing, unaffected by warpin swelling or shrinking, due to heat or co d, dampness or dryness, or other climatic or atmospheric or similar' changes or conditions, wliile insuring an air tight, smoke, fire and bug proof, and heat insulating closure and seating' joint, regardless of vibration of the receptacle on the door frame and of the size or shape of the door or lid.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter in the description of certain substantial embodiment of the principle involved, it being submitted, however, that various changes in form. proportion, size and details of construction and specificarrangement of the essential elements may be resorted to in adaptation to the different contemplated uses, and within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front view of a door adapted especially for a refrigerator or refrigerator car for use in a side wall opening thereof.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the same, showing in full lines the closed and in dotted lines the open positions of the parts, the plane of the section being indicated by the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar section on the plane indicated by the line 3 3 of Fi 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section o a portion of the door on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section showing a double door arrangement.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the double door construction.

- Fig. 7 is a detail view of the rocker rod.

Fig. 8 is a view'of a supplemental member of a door showing the inside or housed surface thereof, the same being partly broken away to show the interior construction.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1920.

Serial No. 225,377.

The closure embodying the invention is designed for use as a door or lid for adaptation to openings in either the top, bottom or side wall of a receptacle such as those named hereinbeforc, consisting primarily of main and supplemental members 10 and 11, the lat-ter of which is carried by the former and has a yielding relation therewith, both members being hollow, and it being preferred to arrange them in telescoping relations. As illustrated the main member 10 is hingedly mounted as shown at 12 and is provided with inwardly or rearwardly convergent walls 13 terminating in inturned flanges 14. while the supplemental member 11 is rovided with parallel or perpendicular walls which terminate in outturned flanges 15 adapted for coperation with the inturned flanges of the main member to constitute vertical stopping or limiting means for determining the extent of relative movement of the members in one direction, or more specically the inward movement of the supplemental member under the impulse of spring elements 16 which are disposed and tensioned to exert a pressure serving to separate said members or advance the inner or supplemental member toward the closure seat 1.7 which is arranged in the path thereof and forms the base of the tapered door opening 18. The seat may be provided with a yielding cushion of felt or its equivalent as shown at 19, to increase the eflicienc of the joint in preventing the passage ov air or other medium, but primarily the yielding contact of the supplemental member with the seat is depended upon to insure a tight joint for the purposes herein set forth.

The supplemental member is preferably made of compartmental construction, having partitions 20 and provided with a filling 21 of asbestos or other fire insulating material, the partitions serving to hold the lilling in place or prevent displacement thereof due to jar or the movement of the door, the inner or housed side of the supplemental member being fitted with a cover plate or partition 22 upon vwhich is arranged a 1ongitudinal rod 23 serving as one element of means for retracting the supplemental member or moving it relative to the main member to relieve the pressure of said supplemental member. upon the seat of the door opening.

In the construction illustrated a rocker 24, consistin as shown of a shaft, is mounted upon an preferably exteriorly of the main member and is provided with crank disks having crank or wrist pins 26 with which are connected links 2T extending. to and engaged with said rod on the supplemental member, said links extending through slots 28 in the inner or housed wall of the latter. Also preferably these links are slotted as shown at 29 so as to permit-of a certain lost motion between the rocker and the supplemental member, so that when the closure is in its normal and locked position, the supplemental member is free for actuation solely by the springs, above described, which are arranged within the main member `and bear against the inner or housed partition of the supplemental member. Obviously these links may be of any preferred construction and may be used in any desired number to suit the size and purposes of the particular closure.

In addition to the above described means the door is preferably provided with a lock which in the construction illustrated in Figs. l to 4 consists of a bolt 30 having an actuating spring 3l and adapted to engage a socket 32 in the wall of the door opening, and the rocker is provided with a toothed segment 32 for engagement with a rack 33 on said bolt whereby when the rocker is turned through the manipulation of a suitable handle 34, arranged at the outer side of the inain member to withdraw or .relieve the pressure of the supplemental member upon the seat of the door opening, the bolt will be withdrawn from engagement with its socket against the tension of its actuating spring, so that the door maybe swung to an open position by grasping a suitable grip d 35. lVhen it is desired 'to lock the door in its closed position the handle 34 may be provided with a slot 36 for engagement with a ha'sp 37 designed to receive a pad lock 38 or' the equivalent thereof.

It will be obvious from the foregoing description that the specific means whereby connection is establishedbetweenthe rocker or the equivalent thereof and the supplemental member and the locking device, may be varied without `detracting from the efficiency of the apparatus, but it is important, as a means of permitting the door to be opened and closed freely and without the exercise of any special effort on the part of the operator, as well as to 'insure proper seating regardless of any tendency of the parts to warp or swell or shrink, or become otherwise disturbed, that the devices for respectively retracting the supplemental member andbolt should be arranged ina' timed relation so that when the door is closed it will be readily movable to its proper position while the 'supplemental member `is in a .retracted position, and that the release or movement of the locking device to its engagmg position shall precede the release of the supplemental member for its yielding engagement with the seat of the door opening. In the same way and for a corresponding reason, in -the opening of the door the operation should be timed so that the first portion of the movement of the operating means shall retract the supplemental member to relieve its pressure` upon thej seat of the door opening, after which the bolt or locking device should be withdrawn to permit of the swinging or other opening movement of the closure. In the construction illustrated in Figs. l to 4 this timedrelation between the operation of the two essential parts indicated is secured by the slotting of the links which serve as the connection between the rocker and the supplemental member, and the depression of the toothed segment on the rocker for engagey ment with the rack of the bolt, the locking movement of the rocker resulting in the engagement 4of the locking means and the release of the spring, actuated supplemental member successively in the order indicated, while the unlocking movement of said rocker results in the withdrawal or retraction of the supplemental member and the disengagement of thelockingn'ieans successively inthe order indicated.

In the modified construction illustrated in Figs. 5 to '7, inclusive, a double door arrangement is indicated, the particular construction of each member of the same being substantially as hereinabove described, but one of the door sections is provided with a stop flange 38 to complete the seat necessary for the'` contact of the portion of the supplementalmember which is adjacent to the point between the door sections, to insure a proper break-joint andhence prevent the circulation of air through the door opening. Also in this construction the rocker 39 is constructed in the form of a rock shaft having cranks 40 with which the links 41 for retracting the lsupplemental member are connected, saidTocker being extended to the margins of the door and carrying the locking hooks or catches 4l for engagement with sockets 42 in the door frame or wall of the structure, this construction being similar to that now commonly employed in connection with doors of refrigerators and refrigeratorNcars. Obviously locking means similar to'those hereinabovedescribed may be-employed to secure the rocker in that position which it assumes when the door has been closed and locked. i

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim: Y I i ,A Y l. A closure'for the purpose named comprisingmainand sup lemental members and spring elements for yieldingly holding them i 'in Iexpanded frelation, ,and manually 'operable means carried by one ofi/said members for relatively moving' said members in opments.

2. A closure for the purpose named having a main member' provided with locking means, a supplemental spring actuated seat engaging member, and common means carried by said main member for disengaging the locking means and reti-acting said supplemental member against the action of said springs.

3. A closure for the purpose named having a main member provided with locking means, a supplemental spring actuated seat engaging member, and common manually operable means carried by said main member for disengaging the locking means and retracting said supplemental member in successive steps.

l. A closure for the purpose named having main and supplemental relatively movable members, locking means tor securing the main member in closed position, yielding means tensioned to impel the supplemental member toward the closure seat, and manually operable releasing devices carried by one of said members for successively relieving the pressure of the supplemental member upon the seat and disengaging the locking means.

5. A closure for the purpose named comprising a pair of telescopically connected inner and outer relatively movable members, spring means between said members for normally holding the inner member projected, a rocker rod upon the outer member, crank elements carried by said rod and provided with wrist pins, links pivotally engaging said wrist pins and each having a lost motion pivotal connection with the inner closure member, and a manually operable device for turning the rocker rod and shifting said links to retract the inner closure member against the resistance of the springs.

6. A closure for the purpose named having a main member provided with locking means, a supplemental spring actuated seat engaging member, a rocker mounted upon the main member and operatively connected with said locking means, and slotted relative motion compensating links connecting the supplemental member with said rocker.

7. A closure for the purpose named having a main member provided with locking means, a supplemental spring actuated seat engaging member, said locking means consisting of a bolt, and common manually operable means carried by the main member for disengaging the locking means and retracting said supplemental member against the resistance of its actuating springs, the same including a rocker having a toothed segment, and a rack on said lockingl bolt.

8. A closure for the purpose named comprising inner and outer telescopically connected closure members, springs between said members operating to hold the inner closure member yieldingly projected, a rocker rod upon the outer closure member, crank disksl carried by said rod and provided with wrist pins, links pivotally engaging said pins and having a lost motion slidable and pivotal connection with the inner closure member, a sliding spring proi jected locking bolt carried by the outer closure Inember, a manually operable device Jfor actuating the rocker rod, and connecting means between one of said crank disks and the bolt whereby on the actuation of the rocker rod the links will be drawn upon and the bolt engaged for successively releasing the pressure -of the inner closure member upon the seat and retracting said locking bolt.

9. A closure for the purpose named comprising inner and outer telescopically connected closure members, springs interposed between said members and operating to yieldingly project the inner closure member, a rocker rod carried by the outer closure member, crank disks carried by said rocker rod and provided with wrist pins, links pivotally connected at one end with the crank disks and having a pivotal and sliding and lost motion connection at their opposite ends with the inner closure member, a manually operable device for actuating the rocker rod, a spring projected sliding bolt carried by the outer closure member, and gear elements between one of the crank disks and the bolt relatively arranged so that upon the movement of the rocker rod the inner closure member will be withdrawn from its seat and the bolt then retracted to free the closure members for conjoint opening movement.

10. A closure for the purpose named comprising inner and outer telescopically connected closure members, springs interposed between said members for yieldingly holding the inner closure member projected, a rocker rod upon the outer closure member, crank mechanism including links pivotally' coupled to the rod and having slidable and pivotal lost motion connection with the inner closure member for retracting said inner closure member, a handle for manually actuating the rod to operate said links, a spring actuated sliding locking bolt, and a gear connection between the rocker rod and sliding bolt arranged and coperating to Withdraw the inner closure member against engagement with its seat and then eiiect the retraction of the locking bolt.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

JOHN W. SEIFERT. 

